To help countries collect and analyse radiation exposure data and strengthen worker protection and safety, the IAEA has released a new state-of-the-art online National Dose Registry system.
Keeping a record of how much radiation a worker is exposed to is important for optimizing radiation protection in fields such as power generation, medicine, industry and agriculture, as well as for regulatory compliance with dose limits.
Many countries use a National Dose Registry (NDR), however, some countries, particularly in Africa and Asia and the Pacific, do not have their own central dose recording system yet.
“The new software enables the collection of personal, employment and dosimetric data for all occupationally exposed workers in a country, in support of national occupational radiation protection programmes,” said Jizeng Ma, Head of the IAEA Occupational Radiation Protection Unit. “All countries that do not have a central National Dose Registry in place, or who wish to optimize their current system, may benefit from this new online system.”
The software can be used by regulatory authorities and technical service providers to monitor individual exposure over a lifetime, review radiation safety practices and contribute to health research. Using a central national system keeps data on individual doses safe in the long term, and allows analysis of exposure trends at the local, national and global level.
To find out more about the new tool and receive a demonstration, sign up for the IAEA webinar on 11 April 2024. Register here.
“Bangladesh is going to expand its use of nuclear power and is expecting an increasing demand for individual monitoring services for its exposed workers. I strongly believe this new online NDR software would help us manage this emerging need efficiently and effectively,” said Jannatul Ferdous, Chief Scientific Officer at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, who tested the tool.
By following an international, harmonized approach to capturing data in this NDR software, users can more easily benchmark their information against worldwide statistics to strengthen national programmes on occupational radiation protection. It can also be useful in collecting data needed for the IAEA’s Information System on Occupational Exposure in Medicine, Industry and Research (ISEMIR).
The software used in the NDR was developed by the National Institute for Radiological Protection of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the IAEA and is supported by the IAEA regional technical cooperation project on strengthening technical services in occupational radiation protection in compliance with the international basic safety standards, which aims to enhance protection of workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation in the region of Asia and the Pacific, although the system is available for all Member States.
The online NDR software has powerful computing capabilities and supports multiple dose calculation methods in an easy-to-use format, explained leading NDR developer Jun Deng, researcher and Head of the Information Centre at the National Institute for Radiological Protection at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “Users will have the flexibility to customize the dose reports according to their specific needs, and the system has good scalability and compatibility to be docked to other systems for data exchange,” he said.
The software forms part of the IAEA’s technical assistance to its member countries on the establishment and maintenance of NDRs in line with the International Basic Safety Standards, which introduces requirements for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of occupational radiation exposure information in the form of NDRs. Recommendations are given in General Safety Guide on Occupational Radiation Protection which is jointly sponsored by the IAEA and the International Labour Organization, and provides guidance on fulfilling the requirements of the safety standards related to occupational exposure.
The NDR system is available through the African ALARA Network (AFAN) website, which is part of the IAEA Occupational Radiation Protection Networks (ORPNET). Find the new software here.
